Fix the mistake: Summarization and paraphrasing

Principles of Summarizing — Selecting and Compressing Information

Summarizing is not simply “making something shorter”; it is the skill of removing unnecessary information while preserving the essential points. Let us learn the basic principles.

Basic Rules

Three principles of summarizing:
① Keep the main idea: Always include the topic sentence and conclusion of the text.
② Remove specific examples and details: The material after “For example,” detailed breakdowns of numbers, and lists of proper nouns are candidates for removal.
③ Remove repeated meanings: English often repeats the same idea in different expressions for emphasis. One mention is enough in a summary.
Elements to remove:
- Specific examples (for example, such as)
- Detailed data (specific years and statistical values)
- Modifiers (very, extremely, really)
- Additional information (clauses set off by commas)
- Anecdotes
Elements to keep:
- The topic sentence of each paragraph
- The writer’s point and conclusion
- Important contrasts (the part following however)
- The central cause-and-effect relationship
Suggested length: 20〜30% of the original text. For a 500-word text, write a 100〜150-word summary.

Summary Example
Original (70 words): “Online shopping has grown rapidly. In 2023, US e-commerce sales reached $1.1 trillion, up 7.6% from 2022. People shop online for convenience, variety, and lower prices. For example, Amazon offers next-day delivery in many cities. However, online shopping has drawbacks. Consumers cannot touch products before buying, and there are concerns about data privacy.”
Summary (25 words): “Online shopping is growing due to its convenience, variety, and low prices. However, it has drawbacks such as the inability to inspect products and privacy concerns.”

Points to Note

① Do not include your own opinion: A summary accurately compresses the content of the original text. Subjective expressions such as “I think” and “In my opinion” are not allowed.
② Paraphrasing is essential: Copying the original expressions is an excerpt, not a summary. Replace them with synonyms or different sentence structures.
③ Summarize each paragraph in 1〜2 sentences: Extract the topic sentence of each paragraph → restate it in your own words → connect the sentences.
④ Make the logic clear with conjunctions: Even relationships that are implicit in the original should be clearly shown in a concise summary with Therefore / However / In contrast.
⑤ Handling numbers: Keep important numbers that show overall trends, but remove detailed supplementary numbers. “sales reached $1.1 trillion” is a candidate to keep, while “up 7.6%” is a candidate to remove.

Key Points
  • A summary keeps the main idea and removes specific examples, modifiers, and repetition
  • Suggested length: 20〜30% of the original text
  • Do not include personal opinions; use only the content of the original
  • Paraphrasing is essential (do not copy and paste)
  • Make the logic clear with conjunctions

Practice

  1. Summarize the following passage in one sentence (15 words or fewer): “Exercise has many benefits. It strengthens muscles, improves cardiovascular health, reduces stress, and boosts mood. For instance, a 30-minute walk daily can lower blood pressure significantly. Furthermore, regular exercise improves sleep quality.”
  2. List three elements that should be removed in a summary.
  3. Explain the biggest difference between a summary and an opinion essay in one sentence in Japanese.

English (Grade 12): related lessons